Montana

Montana gets Friday split – University of Montana Athletics

Published

12 months ago

March 1, 2025

Montana gets Friday split – University of Montana Athletics

The Montana softball team opened the CSUN Champions Classic on Friday with a 9-1, six-inning loss to the host Matadors before bouncing back with a 4-2 win over Fairleigh Dickinson to snap a three-game losing streak.

In between Montana’s two games, Fairleigh Dickson defeated CSU Northridge 4-3 in nine innings, leaving all three teams with a 1-1 record on the day.

Presley Jantzi put the Grizzlies (4-13) ahead in their opener, her solo home run in the top of the first against CSU Northridge giving Montana a 1-0 lead.

It was her second home run of the season, the sixth of her career.

The Matadors would be relentless in their reply, scoring in the second, third, fourth and fifth innings to pull away against starter Cameryn Ortega and Grace Hardy in relief.

Montana’s only other hit came in the top of the fifth, when Kynzie Mohl hit a pinch-hit double to the fence in left-center in her first at-bat of the season.

CSUN scored nine runs on 10 hits, walking it off in the bottom of the sixth on a single up the middle.

After losing their third straight run-rule decision, the Grizzlies responded with a solid win over Fairleigh Dickinson.

Montana only had four hits against the Knights, but the Grizzlies were excellent at taking a little and turning it into a lot.

In the bottom of the first, Anna Cockhill drew a lead-off walk, stole second, advanced to third on a ground out, then scored on a ground out, Montana generating a run without recording a hit.

“I felt like our second game today was our most complete game that we’ve played all year,” said first-year coach Stef Ewing. “We had a ton of quality at-bats.

“We did a great job of hitting the ball on the ground, putting it in play and having productive outs.”

Montana went up 2-0 in the bottom of the third, once again Cockhill serving as spark plug, drawing a one-out walk, stealing second, then scoring on a single up the middle by Jantzi.

Through three innings, Montana had one hit but a 2-0 lead.

“The vibe was different in Game 2. We talked about some things between games and the kids played a lot more relaxed,” said Ewing.

“We had a lot of people who owned their moment. I was happy with who we were in Game 2. It was a great way to flip the page from Game 1.”

Montana took a 4-0 lead in the fifth after a lead-off error by the Knights extended the inning.

Instead of Cockhill and Jantzi doing the damage, it was the bottom of the order, Makena Strong hitting a two-out RBI double to left-center and Jessica Stanfield following with an RBI single to right.

“Really glad to see some other people in the lineup do some things to take some pressure off of the top of the lineup,” said Ewing.

Those runs gave Montana a 4-0 lead because of an effective outing by Brianna Lachermeier, who made her second start of the season.

She allowed just one hit through five innings and got two quick outs to start the sixth before giving up back-to-back singles, the end of her day.

Another single loaded the bases. That was followed by an RBI single that made it 4-1, the bases still loaded. Ewing signaled for Ortega, who threw 4 2/3 innings and took the loss in Friday’s opener.

She gave up a walk to make it 4-2 before ending the threat with a fly out to center.

Ortega gave up a one-out single in the top of the seventh, bringing the potential tying run to the plate. The game ended on a double play, a fly out to left, with the runner at first getting doubled up.

Lachermeier allowed three hits over 5 2/3 innings, throwing 78 pitches. The outing dropped her season ERA from 9.55 to 7.57. Ortega collected her first collegiate save.

“Bri has just progressively been throwing it better and better,” said Ewing. “She is finally getting over her sickness, so she was able to go longer.

“She just wanted the ball. That’s what we’re looking for, people owning their moment. We just said to go out there and have some fun and be light. She took the ball and ran with it.”

A schedule change will now have Montana playing twice on Saturday instead of once, against CSUN at 10 a.m. (MT), then against Fairleigh Dickinson in the day’s third game in mid-afternoon.

The Grizzlies will face the Knights once on Sunday instead of twice, at 10 a.m. (MT).

“The challenge I brought to the team is, now we need to find a way to take the vibe we had in Game 2 and be able to be that team tomorrow, because we know we’re capable of it,” said Ewing.

Source link

Montana

Evacuation orders issued as 5,000-acre wildfire burns near Roundup, Montana

Published

1 hour ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Evacuation orders issued as 5,000-acre wildfire burns near Roundup, Montana

ROUNDUP, Mont. —
The Rehder Creek Fire is burning 16 miles southeast of Roundup has grown to about 5,000 acres, prompting evacuation orders for residents in the Bruner Mountain Area/Subdivision.

The fire started Feb. 26, the cause is unknown and containment was at 0%.

Evacuation orders are in effect for all residents in the Bruner Mountain Area/Subdivision. The Musselshell County Sheriff’s Office is coordinating the evacuation orders, and 911 reverse calls have been sent out to advise people in the area.

A shelter is opening at the Roundup Community Center. Residents were told to contact Musselshell County DES for further information.

Firefighter and public safety remain the top priority. The public is asked to avoid the Fattig Creek and Rehder Road area so emergency personnel can safely and effectively perform their work.

Fire resources assigned to the incident include 40 total personnel, 11 engines, one Type 2 helicopter, three tenders and two dozers.

Source link

Montana

February 26 recap: Missoula and Western Montana news you may have missed today

Published

13 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

February 26 recap: Missoula and Western Montana news you may have missed today

State

Zip Code

Country

Source link

Montana

Escobar, Jayapal, Members of Congress Call on Camp East Montana to be Shut Down – Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal

Published

1 day ago

February 26, 2026

Press Room

Escobar, Jayapal, Members of Congress Call on Camp East Montana to be Shut Down – Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (TX-16) – joined by Representative Pramila Jayapal, the Ranking Member of the Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Subcommittee, and 22 other Members of Congress – sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Todd Lyons calling for the immediate closure of Camp East Montana in El Paso. They cite urgent humanitarian concerns following multiple deaths in custody, documented unsafe conditions, and serious deficiencies in medical care.

This marks the fourth letter Congresswoman Escobar has sent to DHS and ICE leadership. The previous three letters have gone unanswered.

The letter can be found in its entirety below and here.

“Secretary Noem and Acting Director Lyons:

We are urgently calling on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS or the Department) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to shut down Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas.

Camp East Montana has been operational for six months, and at least three people have died at the site since December 2025: Francisco Gaspar-Andres, Geraldo Lunas Campos, and Victor Manuel Diaz. The El Paso County Medical Examiner has officially ruled Lunas Campos’ death a homicide, citing “asphyxia due to neck and torso compression.”

Camp East Montana was constructed in a matter of weeks and opened before construction was complete and it does not have enough federal staff on-site to provide adequate oversight. Over the last several months, Congresswoman Veronica Escobar, in whose district this facility is located, has sent multiple letters to DHS and ICE regarding concerns about the conditions at Camp East Montana, and has received no responses.

According to detainees, there have been constant and consistent problems at the facility since it opened, beginning with the facility’s poor construction and poor ambient temperature control. Upon opening, the drinking water at Camp East Montana tasted foul and made some detainees sick. Detainees continue to be served inadequate meals, including food that is rotten or frozen; last fall, the facility was also consistently failing to make dietary accommodations for detainees. Detainees have shared that they have sporadic access to outside spaces and recreational areas, and that their dormitory pods are cleaned only once every eight days, despite pods housing up to 72 people at a time. Laundry services are not consistent, and people are washing their clothes in the facility showers. Additionally, the facility experiences flooding and sewage backups when it rains, leading to stagnant water.

One of the biggest concerns with the Camp East Montana facility is the inadequate medical care being provided to detainees. Our offices have heard that only the most ill detainees are referred to the medical unit and that there are inconsistencies as to how soon after arriving detainees are able to undergo initial medical screenings. Detainees with chronic health issues who rely on regimented medications for their health have had difficulty accessing necessary medications, including blood pressure medication and insulin.

At least one of the deaths that occurred in ICE custody, the death of Francisco Gaspar-Andres, appears to partially be the result of poor medical care by staff at the facility. According to ICE’s own account, Gaspar-Andres sought medical attention from facility staff for increasingly serious symptoms, but was only transferred to an area hospital once his condition had severely deteriorated.

In addition to our concerns about poor medical care, we are also aware that detainees have experienced irregular access to their legal counsel, including instances of detainees having only two minutes allotted per phone call every 8 days, which is contrary to ICE’s Detention Standards on access to counsel, and that the belatedly created law library lacks adequate resources for the amount of people currently held at the facility. In January 2026, ICE announced the on-site death of Geraldo Lunas Campos “after experiencing medical distress.” ICE opened an investigation into the death, but did not provide a cause of death. However, The Washington Post later reported that another man detained at Camp East Montana had witnessed guards choking Lunas Campos when he refused to enter a segregated housing unit. Weeks later, the El Paso County Medical Examiner ruled that Lunas Campos had experienced “asphyxia due to neck and torso compression” and ruled his death a homicide.

Lunas Campos is the first detainee to die at Camp East Montana as a result of a use-of-force incident, but we are strongly concerned that he will not be the last if ICE is allowed to continue operating Camp East Montana.

ICE was given $45 billion in taxpayer dollars in the reconciliation bill, $1.2 billion of which were awarded to Acquisition Logistics, LLC, a company with no previous experience managing immigration detention facilities, to build and oversee Camp East Montana. However, in the wake of three deaths in custody so far, continued concerns about conditions at the facility, and ICE’s apparent disinterest in responding to oversight letters from Congress, we do not believe Camp East Montana is being run professionally or responsibly.

Camp East Montana must be shut down. For the safety of everyone at the facility, for an end to abuses to detainees, and for fiscal responsibility to the American people, the site cannot continue to operate. We are calling on DHS and ICE to move to immediately close operations at Camp East Montana.

We look forward to hearing from the Department promptly on this matter.

The other co-signers include Representatives Yassamin Ansari, Nanette Barragán, Yvette Clarke, Lloyd Doggett, Maxwell Frost, Jesús “Chuy” García, Sylvia Garcia, Daniel Goldman, Jimmy Gomez, Henry Johnson, Stephen Lynch, Seth Moulton, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Delia Ramirez, Andrea Salinas, Janice Schakowsky, Darren Soto, Rashida Tlaib, Paul Tonko, Lauren Underwood, Gabe Vasquez, and Nydia Velázquez.

Issues: Immigration

Source link